“Dué argues that the attested multiforms of the Iliad—in ancient quotations, on papyrus, and in the scholia of medieval manuscripts—give us glimpses of the very long history of the text, access to even earlier Iliads, and a greater awareness of the mechanisms by which such a remarkable poem could be composed in performance. Using methodologies grounded in an understanding of Homeric poetry as a system, Achilles Unbound argues for nothing short of a paradigm shift in our approach to the Homeric epics, one that embraces their long evolution and the totality of the world of epic song, in which each performance was newly composed and received by its audience.”
For the month of July the Book Club will discuss Dué’s Achilles Unbound: Multiformity and Tradition in the Homeric Epics. Everybody will read the Introduction and Conclusion sections, other parts would be at your discretion.
Discussion starts and continues in the Forums, and we will meet via Zoom on July 22, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. EDT! The link will be posted on the day of the meeting.
You can find the free online text at CHS
If you are not already a member, join Kosmos Society and be part of the Book Club and other study groups.
Happy readings!